Sunday, January 30, 2011

One of my goals this year is to introduce a line of felted wool hats, and I'm right on track!

Because you never know how something will turn out with the felting process, working out the right formula for number of stitches and increases can be a trial and error situation. My first try came up a bit short and wasn't quite right, but my good friend, April, was pleased when I gave it to her.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

I just finished reading Jennifer Donnelly's lastest book Revolution and I loved it. It is one of those reads that you can't put down and are sad that you finished it because you want more.

This is the second Jennifer Donnelly book that I have read and I loved them both. She has a way of putting fictional characters smack in the middle of a historical event and makes the story totally believeable.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Winter is here! And here in Booville NY, that means snow, cold and more snow.

It has recently been noted on the Weather Channel that right here in our little town we are ranked as #2 city in the country with the most snowfall - second only to Valdez Alaska.

Although, I must say that this year we seem to be falling short of the average 220.5 inches they refer to in the article. But we sure are having our share of the cold right now with a current temperature of 4 degrees F and expected -1 tomorrow.

So how do we Boonvillians fight this snow and cold? We bundle up ~ Preferably in soft warm handknit woolies!

My newest hat design features extra warmth covering the ears where it is needed the most. This Diamond Cable Knit Hat is a perfect way to enjoy the winter activities - whether you love to ski, ice skate, snowshoe or just walk.

No matter what the weather throws at you - get out and enjoy it! And Stay Warm!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

I really love working with alpaca fiber. And I really like the results of a knit alpaca scarf even more. Alpaca is one of the softest and warmest natural fiber.

My newest etsy listing is a handknit 50% alpaca 50% merino wool scarf with 3 rows of subtle cables. It is knit on smaller needles that I usually use and is very delicate and drapes perfectly. I loved knitting with this yarn due to the softness.

Again, I used the cable pattern that doesn't use a cable needle, so it knit up quickly.

I'm also spinning some of my own 100% alpaca. I'm not sure about the colors quite yet, but looking forward to seeing them combined when plyed together. I think I'll call this Arizona Sun Rise.....

What is your favorite yarn to knit with? One of my goals is to try everything available at some point in my life. I guess I'd better get knitting!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

I spent the day yesterday putting finishing touches on a new hooded scarf design that I was working on. I'm pleased with the end result, but still need to tweak a few things.

This one is so soft, warm and fluffy and reminds me being in a mid-evil forest with Robin Hood coming to save the day. Ok - a little too much imagination going on this morning.

So here it is:

For the scarf I used a cable stitch that doesn't require using a cable needle (see previous post for the stitch pattern). The top of the hood uses the kitchner stitch and I'm proud of the way this one came out... you can barely see where it connects.